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Master of Public Policy

The Future of EU Funding & the Ukraine Facility

Course-ID: GRAD-P1072
Instructors: Vincent Winterhager

Abstract

This project course covers two interlinked topics at the heart of the policy debate in Brussels: (i) the new funding instruments of the EU and the (ii) Ukraine Facility.

NextGenEU marks a historical shift in economic policy of the EU. Students will learn about the new funding instruments outside of the regular budget (MFF) and its groundbreaking consequences for future EU policies from a (a) legal (possibilities and constraints of funding on EU level outside MFF), (b) practical (implementation of NextGenEU), and (c) political economy (carrot and stick principle, larger fiscal capacity, new dynamic Commission/ Member States) perspective.

The course then turns to the most recent example of this funding instruments in foreign policy, the Ukraine Facility. By examining in detail the Facility, one of the biggest financial support instruments to Ukraine, the course explores the (a) key mechanisms of the Facility, the (b) Political Economy of Ukraine (transformation economics vs. intl. political economy), and (c) its interconnection with accession negotiations.

The course is taught by a Policy Officer from the European Commission, alongside practitioners and academics. The objective is to produce concrete policy papers, largely quantitative, guided by the Commission's needs and presented in Brussels at the end of the course.

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Master of Public Policy Master of International Affairs Master of Data Science for Public Policy

The Geopolitics of Global Supply Chains

Course-ID: GRAD-E1449
Instructors: Melanie Müller

Abstract

Following the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, policy makers around the world are discussing the future of globalization. This course offers a deep dive into the complex network of global supply chains. We will explore how processes of globalization, geopolitical challenges and discussions on resilience, sustainability and human rights shape the design and the future of global supply chains. We try to understand which guiding principles, norms and standards have an influence on the configuration of global supply chains. In addition, we will look at the actors involved in the supply chain of crucial goods, shedding light on how powerful or powerless they are when it comes to shaping production processes. We will look at the social, environmental and economic challenges in the supply chains and venture into the shadowy world of illicit supply chains. Lastly, we will investigate the increasing efforts worldwide to mitigate the negative impacts of globalized supply chains in order to contribute to a more sustainable design of supply chains.

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Master of Public Policy Master of International Affairs Master of Data Science for Public Policy

The Israel-Palestine Conflict

Course-ID: GRAD-E1474
Instructors: Peter Lintl

Abstract

The course aims to foster a deeper understanding of the intricate conflict between Palestinians and Israelis, exploring the contested nature of various aspects within it.

We will delve into several key areas:

Firstly, the course extensively examines pivotal moments in the history of the conflict, offering diverse perspectives on events spanning from Zionist immigration to the present day.

Secondly, we will explore concepts commonly employed to characterize or analyze the conflict, such as Apartheid, Genocide, Terrorism, or Antisemitism, whose usage is frequently subject to debate.

Thirdly, the course investigates the discourse surrounding the conflict, often termed as "the conflict over the conflict," scrutinizing why actors worldwide engage in discussions about a conflict in which they may not have direct involvement.

Lastly, we will analyze policy considerations, assessing the array of international strategies adopted by various stakeholders in addressing and managing the conflict both historically and in the present day.

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Master of Public Policy Master of Data Science for Public Policy

The Policy Process: Climate Policy

Course-ID: GRAD-C1-1020
Instructors: Christian Flachsland

Abstract

This course offers an introduction to the policy process. It equips students with a solid understanding of foundational insights from comparative politics, economics and policy analysis, enabling them to navigate the politics of complex domestic policy processes throughout their careers. The first half of the course introduces the main steps in the policy cycle: Problem formulation and agenda-setting & seeding; normative and positive perspectives on policy formulation; decision-making; policy implementation; and policy evaluation & learning. The second part introduces the international level, discusses differences between democracies and autocracies, challenges from right-wing populism, and social change. Please note that this course does not offer a comprehensive introduction to climate policy – for this, attend my second-year elective “Advanced Climate Policy”. Note also that this course requires reading substantial amounts of academic literature and features extensive lectures, interspersed with in-class discussions. Students work on individual regional climate policy case studies in several assignments throughout the semester.

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Master of Public Policy Master of Data Science for Public Policy

The Policy Process: Digital Governance & Social Media Governance

Course-ID: GRAD-C1-1027
Instructors: Daniela Stockmann

Abstract

This course aims to give students an introduction into public policy, policy analysis and the policy process. Public policies are the instruments with which the state attempts to exercise control over the public domain. Policy analysis deals with choosing the best means to obtain a specified end. The policy process focuses on the capacity of political actors to decide about these instruments.

While the theme of the course is the policy process, the examples used in the course are taken from digital governance and social media governance. As states become more digitized increasingly governments are trying to influence digital transformation. On the one hand, digitization is strongly connected to economic growth. On the other hand, digitization also has important social and political consequences, many of which are considered to challenge political stability and democracy. This course focuses on the development of a European approach towards co-regulating social media platforms in an effort to stabilize democracies in Europe.

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Master of Public Policy Master of Data Science for Public Policy

The Policy Process: Employment & Welfare

Course-ID: GRAD-C1-1013
Instructors: Anke Hassel

Abstract

This course aims to give students an introduction into public policy, policy analysis and the policy process. Public policies are the instruments with which the state attempts to exercise control over the public domain. Policy analysis deals with choosing the best means to obtain a specified end. The policy process focuses on the capacity of political actors to decide about these instruments.

While the theme of the course is the policy process, the examples used in the course are taken from labour market and employment policies. Welfare and employment are a key concern of industrialized and industrializing political economies, both in terms of efficiency and equity. High employment levels of formal employment indicate an efficient use of human resources and skills. Formal employment is a central factor for the distribution of wealth in modern societies.

The course is divided into four parts:

1.    Problem definition: Following an introduction into the main elements of the policy process, this part aims at communicating the defining characteristics of policy issues. What is a policy problem? Why and how does it emerge (or why not)? What role do ideas and policy paradigms play in their framing? What types of tools may we draw upon to solve various problems?

2.    Policy Instruments: Political actors have a set of tools they can employ for problem-solving. Suitable tools depend on the nature of the policy problem as well as on the government capacity.

3.    Actors and institutions: This part starts by exposing students to a focus on actors and stakeholders, including their rationales. In the subsequent sessions, the perspective will then be enlarged to include actor constellations, institutions and the broader context, within which policies are developed, shaped and implemented by the stakeholders.

4.    Case presentations: The last part of the course is dedicated to the presentation and discussion of a set of policy analysis papers prepared by groups of students (see assignments). The preparation of these sessions, including the suggestion of readings, will be part of the group assignment. The last session is designed to provide a systematic comparison of the cases and hark back to the concepts and issues introduced in the first part.

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Master of Public Policy Master of Data Science for Public Policy

The Policy Process: Leadership in Local Government

Course-ID: GRAD-C1-1030
Instructors: Konstantinos Bakogiannis

Abstract

“Local solutions to global problems” is not just a slogan. In 2024, all politics is local. In an increasingly complex and dynamic world of multiple and overlapping crises, local authorities often find themselves at the eye of a perfect storm. It has become vital to tackle global issues, including questions of growth, the climate crisis, socio-economic inequalities, public health, and the digital transition, from the local perspective. This course helps you to think about these questions like a Mayor and aims to create a learning platform to explore and understand the principles, strategies, and best practices of public policy.

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Master of Public Policy Master of Data Science for Public Policy

The Policy Process: Urban Policy

Course-ID: GRAD-C1-1031
Instructors: Kai Wegrich

Abstract

The course offers an introduction to public policy, the policy process and core concepts of policy analysis, drawing on applications to urban policy and politics. Policy analysis (or research) seeks to “find out what government do, why they do it and what difference it makes” (T Dye). Policy analysis studies how governments (and non-governmental actors) seek to address societal problems  – for example, which policy instruments to use (i.e. rent control to address rising rent prices) ; how these policies are put into practice (implementation) and which impact and outcomes, including unintended they generate (evaluation). Policy process research brings the political into policy analysis, raising issues such as power, interests, collaboration and conflict.

Urban spaces are magnifying glasses for societal problems and conflicts – and for policy and governance innovations. With an ever-growing urban population, the urban context is critical for solving complex policy issues – such as climate change, mobility, inequality, security. Many actors with different ideologies and interest – political parties, citizens, activists, local and global companies – seek to shape what city governments do (and what not). Usingexamples from cities around the globe, including Berlin, we will explore urban policy and politics through the lens of the policy process perspective. Students will learn the analytical tools and perspectives of policy analysis and policy process research through the application to urban policy and politics issues. We will explore the dynamics of agenda-setting, questions of political representation and power, and the influence of different socio-economic groups on urban policy making. Using case studies on urban transport, planning & development, and housing, you will apply policy analysis concept to exercises of policy design, evaluation, implementation and stakeholder analysis. You will also get the opportunity to work on a case of your choice.

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Master of Public Policy Master of International Affairs Master of Data Science for Public Policy

The Political Economy of World Trade

Course-ID: GRAD-E1229
Instructors: Stormy-Annika Mildner

Abstract

The international trade environment is changing rapidly. Great power politics, a competition of ideas and systems, cold and hot conflicts as well as wars threaten to divide the world into new blocks – large autocracies on one side and liberal democracies on the other – and many countries in the middle. Trade is more and more seen from a security lens: as a source of national vulnerabilities on one hand side, and as coercive, strategic instrument on the other. This will massively impact trade flows, accelerating the re-regionalization and re-nationalization of value chains, which started a few years ago and gained momentum during the Covid-19 pandemic, also fueled by the power competition between the United States and China. At the same time, the WTO, which is already fragile, is threatened to be weakened even further – at a time when a strong institution is more important than ever.

“The Political Economy of World Trade” aims at providing a hands-on approach to the analysis of international trade relations. This course has a strong policy orientation, using current issues and challenges in trade policy-making as the starting point of each session. Economic research and theoretical elements will be studied to come to concrete policy options. Our class features five sections: 1. drivers of world trade; 2. the political economy of trade policy-making; 3. the multilateral trading system; 4. preferential trade agreements, 5. a critical look at trade.

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Master of Public Policy Master of International Affairs Master of Data Science for Public Policy

The Politics of Food

Course-ID: GRAD-E1368
Instructors: Harry Bauer

Abstract

The questions of how and what we eat has become a key topic for public debate. Indeed, the issue of food manifests itself in different forms that are often vehicles for new understandings of the self, the nation, the environment and/ or the planet; just take the rise of consumer and farmer movements that oppose industrialised food production and worry about the future of agricultural sustainability or take the growing focus on food and cuisine in the media and other cultural industries.

Drawing on a number of disciplines, this course places food production, distribution and consumption at the centre of scrutiny. Like many other areas of life, it takes the world of food to be a world of politics and power—a world in which policy-makers, economists, environmentalists, agribusinesses, scientists, consumers, and social justice groups, all holding vastly different views, seek to influence the food system and related policies. Hence, the world of food and the way our food systems work and worked offers important insights into the interplay of power, politics and identity—including relations between developing and developed countries, between genders as well as people and the natural world.

It is through the lens of food that this course will hence explore some of the major global challenges of our time, like: food, self and identity; food and cultural heritage; food and migration; food and the nation; food, the media and popular culture; the political economy of human-environment relations; food and the consumer society; food poverty and the politics of food waste; state policy and the healthy body politic; food and the 'moral economy'; the future of food production and consumption.

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Master of Public Policy Master of International Affairs Master of Data Science for Public Policy

The Psychology of Intergroup Relations

Course-ID: GRAD-E1395
Instructors: Ruth Ditlmann

Abstract

This course introduces students to psychological theories of prejudice and intergroup relations, with an emphasis on applying these theories to public policy. After learning what empirical methods and assumptions guide the social psychological study of intergroup relations (mostly different experimental paradigms), we will review classic and contemporary theory and research on intergroup relations and prejudice from social psychology. While the core of this research is US-based, we will read empirical articles testing these theories in different countries, pertaining to different group dynamics, whenever possible. At the end of the course, we will focus on applications of such theory and research to pressing social issues, such as anti-prejudice interventions in different settings (education, media etc.) and post-conflict reconciliation.

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Master of Public Policy Master of International Affairs Master of Data Science for Public Policy

The Rise of China

Course-ID: GRAD-E1361
Instructors: Daniela Stockmann

Abstract

China's impressive development during the past 40 years is often perceived as challenging the United States as the most powerful player in global politics. As the American economy has slowed down during the pandemic and the American political system is under pressure internally, arguments in support of the rise of China appear to be more convincing than ever. Is China really rising? What are the origins and underpinnings of China's development? And what are the implications of China's rise for foreign politics? This course examines the causes and consequences of China's rise. Although there is a strong focus on domestic politics, we will also spend considerable time and energy on understanding China's foreign policy. Students do not need to have any previous knowledge about China.

The course is divided into two parts. The first part covers the origins and underpinnings of China's development marked by fostering economic development with limited political reform. The second part examines key factors in explaining China's foreign policy. This includes basic developments in China's bilateral relations with other states, particularly the United States, and China's relations with other actors in international politics, such as the European Union.

In addition to understanding the political dynamics involved in China's rise, we also explore challenges and strategies to build a cooperative relationship with China. As part of the US-China trade war many companies and states feel under pressure to choose one side, which fosters an atmosphere conducive to conflict. Proponents of this strategy argue that countries need to build an alliance with a strong stance against China. Others argue that it is important to continue to seek cooperation with liberal forces inside the country to avoid future conflict. This course gives you the opportunity to develop your own stance on this question by starting to build understanding of China on your own.

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